Penny & Irv - July 2010

Dear Everyone;

Dr. Quinn was less than impressed with my "non" boob.  The previously irradiated skin is still very hard and not anywhere close to being soft enough for expansion.  So, the other option is a major operation where the rectus abdominus muscle is severed at the bottom of the abdomen and tunneled up under the skin to the breast area.  Excess skin from the donor site (muscle) is used to cover the area being reconstructed.  This surgery requires 5-7 days in the hospital.  The chance exists that the muscle will not retain its blood supply and die, leaving a real mess.  The other breast would be reduced in size at the same time.  Since my irradiated skin is not doing well now, I don't want to chance it doing even worse after such a big operation.  Neither of the two plastic surgeons in Bend do this difficult surgery any more due to one's bad back and the other's bad neck!  The surgery requires a lot of bending over forming the tunnel under the skin of the abdomen get the muscles up to the boob.  That means I'd have to go to Portland or even Seattle for this surgery.  I said NO!   This can be done in years to come, not right now, if I change my mind.  It is kind of a relief as we were running out of time to get this all done before I had to pay another $10,000 deductible starting in Nov.  It really doesn't bother me too much to be a right sided uni-boob.  I will get a mastectomy bra and prosthesis to wear when I need to be seen in public on a formal occasion.  Otherwise, get used to seeing only one breast under my T-shirts!  Right now I use undershirts with a shelf bra that I stuff with socks.  (Irv notes that he hasn't grabbed a handful of sock since junior high school!  Ha, ha.)  Then I layer some shirts over it and it is quite convincing. 

Irv sees the doctor on Thursday and should begin steroid treatment.  Right now he is feeling perfectly well, so we will see if he has to undergo the treatment or not.

Love,

Penny